Reece Cox: 500 hours of CCTV trawled in Black Country murder probe
CCTV footage capturing the moment Reece Cox was "set upon" by a group of men has been shown to jurors in a murder trial.
Footage played to Wolverhampton Crown Court showed Mr Cox, aged 24, being attacked by six men outside The Clifton pub in Bull Ring, Sedgley.
Mr Cox, who was killed in the attack, had “intervened” after a man he had been drinking with was targeted by the group near to the pub, the court was told.
The young father, who was waiting outside the Clifton at around 11.55pm on August 15 last year, had been drinking with Grant Danbury and his girlfriend Kelly Timmins earlier at the nearby White Horse pub, a judge heard.
Det Con Donna Kenny, the CCTV coordinator in the case for West Midlands Police, said she had spent close to 500 hours trawling through CCTV footage of the attack on Mr Cox and the build-up to it.
The footage showed Mr Danbury encounter members of the group with Ms Timmins moments before he was confronted in the build-up to the attack on Mr Cox, a court was shown.
Mr Danbury was punched in the resulting disorder and had fled to the nearby Clifton pub where Mr Cox was waiting, jurors heard.
Mr Cox had tried to break up the fight before he was “set upon” by six men, who all deny murder, and was knocked to the ground outside the Clifton pub, a court was told.
Adam Ashwin, a member of the group, kicked Mr Cox in the head whilst the victim was on the ground which was the “last blow struck”, prosecutor Mr David Mason QC said.
The attack was captured on CCTV and through mobile phone footage taken by someone inside the Clifton pub, jurors heard.
Earlier footage played to the court showed Mr Cox arriving at the nearby White Horse pub at around 8.27pm, which other footage showing he left the site at around 11.30pm, a judge heard.
Mr Cox had joined the queue to get inside The Clifton pub at around 11.41pm whilst Mr Danbury and Ms Timmins headed off, prior to Mr Danbury’s confrontation with the group.
Det Con Kenny said: “There’s a push from [the defendant]Adam Ashwin to the chest of Reece Cox and then the CCTV shows Mr Cox and Ashwin and it appears they have a hold of each other’s arms. Both step back from each other and it proceeds from there.”
Adam Ashwin, 20, of Monument Lane, Sedgley, denies murder. Wayne Burke, 23, of Queens Street, Pensnett; Shaquel Halliday, 22, of Shadwell Drive, Lower Gornal; Shane Jones, 26, of Orchard Grove, Lower Gornal; Ryan Nicklin, 22, of Limes Avenue, Pensnett; and Sebastian Jones, 19, of Corser Street, Dudley, deny murder, manslaughter, assault actioning actual bodily harm and violent disorder.
The trial continues.
